In 2022, the Government of Iran undertook a headcount of all undocumented Afghan nationals in Iran, including those who newly arrived in Iran following events in Afghanistan in 2021. Some 2.6 million Afghans were registered through the headcount exercise and received ‘laissez-passers’, providing them with a form of temporary protection against refoulment during its validity period. The head-counted population was included under the category of refugee-like in UNHCR’s Annual Statistical Report (ASR) for 2023, to more accurately reflect the number of Afghans in Iran who may be in need of international protection. The inclusion of the 2.6 million refugee-like population has led to Iran becoming the second largest refugee-hosting country globally, following Türkiye. As the situation in Afghanistan remains volatile, UNHCR foresees that Afghans, especially women and girls, will continue to flee to Iran in the coming months. Of these refugees, 99 per cent reside in urban areas, and the remaining one per cent live in 20 government-run refugee settlements.
In total, Iran hosts 4.5 million forcibly displaced people of varying statuses which include: 762,000 refugees (750,000 Afghan Amayesh card holders and 12,000 Iraqi Hoviat card holders, 2.6 million refugees-like population, 360,000 resident permit, 267,000 family passport holders and 500,000 undocumented Afghans.
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Populations
Population types
Note: The "Stateless" category does not include stateless people who are also in other categories, to avoid double counting. The total number of stateless, across all categories, is .
NB: 2023 figures are planning figures.
Source: UNHCR Refugee Data Finder for years until 2022, UNHCR planning figures (COMPASS) otherwise.
Population by country
NB: 2023 figures are planning figures.
Source: UNHCR Refugee Data Finder for years until 2022, UNHCR planning figures (COMPASS) otherwise.
Population by origin
NB: 2023 figures are planning figures.
Source: UNHCR Refugee Data Finder for years until 2022, UNHCR planning figures (COMPASS) otherwise.
Financials
Budget and expenditure trend
Source: 2024 budget and 2023 current budget are taken from the budget document approved by UNHCR's Executive Committee in October 2023.
Budget by pillar
Budget by Impact Area
Source: 2023 budget as approved by the Executive Committee in October 2022.
2022 current budget as approved by the High Commissioner as of October 2022; pending presentation to the ExCom's Standing Committee.
Budget by objective
Note: The table presents the budget for this operation broken down at the objective level. Resource allocation at the objective level is subject to change during the course of the year as the operational situation evolves and priorities shift. The current budget, reflected in the bottom line of this table, is updated on a monthly basis and is replaced by the final budget at year-end.
Expenditure by Outcome Area
Budget by Outcome and Enabling Areas
Source: 2023 budget as approved by the Executive Committee in October 2022.
2022 current budget as approved by the High Commissioner as of October 2022; pending presentation to the ExCom's Standing Committee.
Budget by Impact Area
Source: 2024 budget and 2023 current budget are taken from the budget document approved by UNHCR's Executive Committee in October 2023.
Budget by Outcome and Enabling Areas
Narratives
Map
The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
UNHCR GIS data is publicly accessible in the Operational Data Portal